Pilot killed in Leicester air crash

by Alister POOLE on December 19, 2011

A pilot died while two other men sustained injuries upon two light aircraft crashing in Leicestershire, as confirmed by police.

The two planes came down close to Gartree Road, not far from Leicester Airport - which was formerly referred to as Stoughton Aerodrome - around 14:00 GMT. While two men that were travelling in the other plane picked up minor injuries, the other plane’s pilot immediately died at the scene.

A police spokesman said that initial reports made suggestions that the aircraft crashed into one another in the air. The planes came down around Gartree Road, which has now been sealed off so that the emergency services can deal with the incident. The spokesman confirmed that one of the aircraft’s pilots died at the scene while two men on the second aircraft thankfully only picked up minor injuries.

A representative from Leicestershire Aero Club, located at the airport, regretted not being able to give any further information about what had happened. Leicestershire Police officers are appealing for witnesses to the crash between a red plane and yellow biplane to come forward if they have any information that can help them.

The red aircraft had only just taken off from a runway at Leicester Airport while the biplane was set to land after having flown from the Nottingham area.